i always kept a little something in the trunk.when i was in college back in the 70's it was a blanket and a bottle of rum.
now i have a full kit that i added onto over the years.with a hour drive to work and half of that on rural roads i got a good parka to wear over my office clothes as the number one item.
now retired and with cell phones so handy i have mostly blankets and shovels.

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one shovel is a good strong "coal shovel" with a sharp edge.
that's new this year because last winter i was helping digging someone out of our alley and they spun the wheels several inches into ice and no amount of pushing would get the tires out of that trap.i went into my garage and got a metal shovel and busted a track just a few inches long in the ice and that did the job.the big plastic shovel is for normal snow removal.

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when i got my parka out of the closet a month ago i found the gear left in from last winter which we all recall was so nasty.
a 12 hour candle,a couple foil blankets,a plastic bag with MRE TP-lighter -and hand wipes.the smushed candy bar is the last of the pocket full that was ment for emergency snacks while waiting for a tow,ok i ate them anyway.
i read somewhere that big "natural" dog biscuits are better as emergency rations because you won't be nibbling on them while your waiting for the stop light to change.